Prior pipe wrapping apparatuses of the hand-wrapping type have been relatively slow in operation and difficult to control. These apparatuses, although referred to as hand-wrapping apparatuses, have been fairly heavy and not really movable by hand for use in wrapping pipes. The older apparatuses have in general not made provision for taking up the backing strip from the tape before the tape is wrapped on the pipe, in such cases where a backing was provided on the tape. The older apparatuses have required careful adjustment of the spindle angles in order to achieve flat wrapping of the tape onto the pipe. The older apparatuses further have not provided means for application of precoat or priming material to the pipe prior to wrapping. While some of the older apparatuses have been adaptable to wrapping of plural pipe sizes, none has been so easily adjustable for this purpose as the present apparatus.